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Barry’d Treasure: Million Dollar Jade

BarryWeiss-BT-1-2Barry’d Treasure: Season 1, Episode 2: “Kentuckyana Jones and the Emperor’s Vessel.”

BarryWeiss-JR-BT-1-2Barry drove to Kentucky to meet collector Michael. His nickname – Kentuckyana Jones. Barry brought sidekick JR to play his banjo along ride.

Barry sang, ” She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain.” Is there anything this man can’t do?

The Collector

Kentuckyana Jowhite-jade-BT-1-2nes owned a wax museum. He took Barry back into a secret room. Ooh, the intrigue! The piece he wanted to sell was an emperor’s vessel from the Han dynasty. It weighed thirty pounds and was made of white jade.

Barry: White jade? Oh the memories. Reminds me of a dancer I used to know. Talk about flexible.

It would have taken two men twenty to thirty years to carve that particular piece. Kentuckyana said it had been valued at 3.7-4.2 million dollars. So why does the guy dress so dirt poor?

The Hunt

Barry decided to take the white jade to a buyer in South Carolina. Kentuckyana went along for the ride. But first, he loaded the car with knickknacks to trade along the way. Barry couldn’t make sense of the nickle-and-dime peddling when there was a multi-million dollar collectible to sell.

A few miles out Kentuckyana stopped to at a used car lot for trade. What? Used car lot trades collectibles? Michael traded pre-Columbian-figurine-BT-1-2two vases and three emeralds for a pre-Columbian figurine. Barry wasn’t impressed with Kentuckyana’s bargaining skills.

Barry: The only time you see a used car salesman laughing this hard, is when he’s just sold you a lemon.

Barry’s next unexpected stop was at an antique store in North Carolina. Kentuckyana traded a pre-Columbian statue and a small topaz for an art deco mannequin. Barry still wasn’t impressed.

At a gas station, Kentuckyana left the briefcase containing the multi-million dollar jade on top of the car… yep you guessed it. Barry drove. Briefcase fell. Thankfully, nothing was broken.

Barry and his crew finally reached their destination. The buyer was Clark, a white jade collector, and he was filthy-stinking rich. His house was gorgeous and filled with $$$ collectibles.  Kentuckyana tried to jump right into business after the handshake. How uncouth! Barry told Michael to take a minute.

Barry: Tact Jonesy, tact. You’ve got to ease into these things.

Clark showed them his collection, including a bronze ram worth $315,000.

The Sale

Kentuckyana wanted 2.5 million for the white jade.

Barry: That was a bonehead move. Jonesy opened up with his bottom number.  He’s about to get lowballed and not in a good way.

Clark countered with 1.6 million, the best deal he could do. Time for Barry to use his negotiating skills and make this happen.

Barry pulled Kentuckyana aside. He proposed that he accept the 1.75 million and ask Clark to tbronze-ram-BT-1-2hrow in the bronze ram.

Kentuckyana or Clark a tad reluctant but they both agreed to the deal.

Go Barry!

Work was done. Time to have fun. On the way out of town Barry spotted a ranch. They had CAMELS! You know Barry could not resist a ride.

What did you think of the bronze ram deal?

Please leave your insightful opinions in the comment box below.

Storage Wars: Hit and Miss

DarrellSheets-black-powder-SW5-2Storage Wars: Season 5, Episode 2: “The Hills Have Buys.”

Ivy ranted about his hatred of mattresses. Umm…okay? Darrell decided it was time Brandon became a better buyer. Rene was concerned for his reputation and determined to beat Jarrod.

Jarrod had bigger worries on his mind as he and Brandi decided to bid conservatively to make some money for their failing store.

1st-storage-unit-SW-5-21st Storage Unit

There were tools, lights, dishes, an old car part and lots of boxes. Brandon didn’t think it looked like a promising unit, but Darrell felt confident and went for it.

Darrell: Today Brandon’s learning from the master!

Rene and Ivy both bid on the unit as well, but Darrell won it for $1,250. He and Brandon dug through the unit and found an old spittoon. Ew!

Jackpot! They found two Rolex watches!black-powder-SW-5-2

Darrell found a black powder gun which they took to Jason, a gun expert. The gun was made in Germany. Good news, it was in decent condition. Bad news, it was a replica valued only at about $100. What do father and sons do with guns? Go to a firing range.

Darrell and Brandon made a friendly little bet on who could shoot the target. Brandon shot the target right in the heart, while Darrel shot the ceiling. Guess who bought who lunch?

2nd-storage-unit-SW-5-22nd Storage Unit

Suitcases, an old bike, a stove, skate board, bed and stroller. Packed and stacked. Jarrod, Ivy and Rene all bid on the unit; but it was Ivy who won at $500.

He found an old water heater, a coke sign, and his favorite – a mattress!

Ivy: Unfortunately in this business you can’t get stuff without getting mattresses.

Seriously dude, that’s a lot of mattress-hate.bat-box-SW-5-2

He found a marble topped dresser, fishing nets, golf clubs, and a bat house. Wait… what?

It was a wooden box with ‘Bat Conservation’ written across it. Ivy took the “bat cave” to Cindy Myers, an expert in bat rehabilitation.

She explained it was a five-chamber bat house that could fit up to 500 bats! Ivy was disappointed to learn it was valued only at $100.

3rd-storage-unit-SW-5-23rd Storage Unit

Sporting goods, a hideaway bed, snow boots, a couch, boxes, and plastic containers.

Jarrod and Brandi wanted it. Rene determined to take it. Jarrod and Brandi had set a $500 cap. Rene rose the bid to $750. Oh, well.

Rene and Casey sorted through lots of clothes and bed sheets. The couple were gleeful when they founstiga-sled--lib-tech-SW-5-2d a box marked “fragile.” Tupperware. Talk about false advertising!

The couple did find a heavy-duty hiking backpack and survival kit. Rene had creepy-fun when he found an axe in the unit.

Rene: Here’s Johnny!

They found a Lib Tech snowboard and Stiga snow sled. They took the items up to the slopes to be appraised. Both disappointed to learn the items were worth around $100. At least Rene got to have some fun on the sled downhill! It was like watching a grown man ride a tricycle. Next time, Casey should give it a go!

It was $100 appraisal items day for everyone.

Profit Scorecard:

Darrell Sheets: $3,230
Ivy Calvin: $440
Rene Nezhoda & Casey Nezhoda: $300
Jarrod Schulz & Brandi Passante: $0

Do you think Jarrod and Brandi were smart to play it conservatively?

Please leave your insightful opinions in the comment box below.

Storage Wars: Jarrod Buys Everything but the Girl

JarrodSchulz-SW-5-1Storage Wars: Season 5, Episode 1: “Flight of the Gambler.”

Jarrod did a little beard maintenance while an impatience Brandi waited to leave for the auction in Montebello. Ivy announced he needed tools. He was going to bid on any units with tools. Seriously, there’s got to be an easier way to get hold of some tools, man.

Rene counted his chickens before they hatched. He had hired a truck and mover. Darrell proclaimed himself, “King of Montebello.” All hail the king!

1st-storage-unit-SW-5-11st Storage Unit

Chairs, tables, mattresses, bags of shocks, and a bed. Definitely a household unit, though how the creepy red mask came about wasn’t clear.

Jarrod jumped into ring to buy but Ivy threw all the other bidders for a loop when he won locker for $237.50.

He found matching chairs and table, scrap wood, an old computer, and blankets. Lots and lots of blankets. One blanketice-skating-harness-SW-5-1 even had butterflies and flowers.

Ivy: If you can’t buy what you like, buy what you love, and I love butterflies.

He then found some very odd looking equipment. He was clueless, but once he found a pair of ice skates, he imagined it was sports training equipment. He took the pole to an ice skating expert named Brianna.

Brianna stated it was a harness to help teach kids how to jump on the ice and not fall. She demonstrated the pole/harness with one of her students. Valued it at $1,200.

2nd-storage unit-SW-5-12nd Storage Unit

Stove, dishwasher, DVD player, fridge, grandfather clock and plastic containers.  Darrell and Rene both wanted this unit.  Darrell distracted by poking at Rene he lost the locker to Jarrod who bought it for $3,700.

Jarrod exploded into a spending spree.

He bought the next storage units without blinking an eye.

3rd Unit – $450
4th Unit – $425
5th Unit – $350

Brandi didn’t like the looks of the units and wasn’t happy. Jarrod assured her they needed more stuff to sell at the Long Beach store.

Jarrod: You can’t win if you don’t play.
Brandi: Don’t start giving me the, “More you know” after-school special line.

Brandi paid a visit to the new store later that day. She discovered it was fully stocked and not a single customer in sight.

After a heart-to-heart with Jarrod, he finally admitted the store had been losing money since it opened. He said he kept it from her so only one of them would lose sleep at night. Aw, sweet.

6th-storage-unit-SW-5-16th Storage Unit

Industrial equipment, compressor, drill press, commercial tools, sawdust collector, refrigerator, electric keyboard, and a bed.

Darrell and Rene went head-to-head, but Rene finally dropped out. Darrell won the locker for $1,600.

Darrell: I can’t decide what makes me happier. Winning an awesome locker, or shutting Rene down.

Darrell and Brandon went through the unit. They found a commercial table saw and a sander.

It went from tools to toys when they found a huge R.C. airplane.  They took it to an RC-airplane-SW-5-1expert to have it valued. Like new, never used, worth around $2,000.

The expert tested the plane. It flew beautifully until around mid-flight Brandon took controls. Crash landing! That’s a $2K s-p-l-a-t. Oops! Next time, let the professionals fly.

Profit Scorecard:

Ivy Calvin: $1,132.50
Darrell Sheets: $650
ReneNezhoda & Casey Nezhoda: LOSS -$300
Jarrod Schulz & Brandi Passante: LOSS -$3750

What do you think Jarrod and Brandi should do about the store?

Please leave your insightful opinions in the comment box below.

TCL Media Group Launches Online Storage Auctions – Reuters

reutersTCL Media Group, a leading developer of websites relating to self-storage auctions, recently acquired OnlineStorageAuctions.com, the premium exact-match domain for the online storage auction niche. As part of the acquisition, the company has merged 2 of its existing properties onto the new site to create a single authoritative reference about self-storage auctions.

 

Among the TCL Media Group properties are VirtualStorageAuction.com, which offers an online alternative to traditional storage auctions, and StorageAuctionForums.com, the web’s largest dedicated storage auction discussion site with more than 30,000 posts.  These sites have been merged into OnlineStorageAuctions.com.  Additionally, over 500 articles, 17 celebrity interviews and 1,000 comments have been imported from the active blog at AuctionsTX.com.

 

 

 

Barry’d Treasure: The Collector’s Show Begins

BarryWeiss-BTreasure-1-1Barry’d Treasure: Season 1, Episode 1: “The Candyman Can’t.”

Barry drove to eastern Pennsylvania to meet up with Carter Reese. Yes, that’s Reeses Candies himself. He has been a collector for fifty years who needed to thin his hoard of collectibles. Barry took his sidekick, Kenny “The Praline King” along for the ride. Barry wanted to deal Reeses’ collectibles. Kenny wanted to sell his pralines to Reese. Why is this not such a good idea?

Barry: Since I retired from the storage auction game, I’ve been caught up in a whole different racket. Acquiring rare things for strange birds.

BarryWeiss-Kenny-BT-1-1The Collector

Carter collected salesmen samples. For those who are unfamiliar they are simply miniatures models of a product inside a store used by salesmen to push the product to distributors.

Carter had over 800 salesmen samples. Wow!

Barry picked out an early Sickle Mower sample. Made in the 1870’s. Carter valued it at between $6,000 and $8,000.

Barry also took a sample Compound Marine Engine worth $8,000 and a sample Reclsalesman-sample-sickle-mower-BT-1-1 copyiner, which was valued at $200. Barry thought it would make a great opening piece for the deal.

All the pieces were fully functional, even the recliner; but Barry wasn’t quite done.

Barry: I’ll take the marine engine, the farm implement, the recliner, and one other piece which you’re not going to be happy about.

He also took a sample Barber’s Chair from 1910, worth a whopping $40,000. It was clearly one of Carter’s favorites. Not at all wanting to part with the item. Reluctantly, he agreed.

The Hunt

Barry and Kenny packed the items in the trunk and drove off.  A few wrong turns later, and the two were lost in Amish country.

They stopped an Amish buggy and asked its driver Jake for directions tosalesman-sample-recliner-BT-1-1 the highway. Barry took an instant liking to Jake and decided to take him along on their adventure.

“But don’t tell the Bishop!”

Barry asked $500 for the Recliner; $10,000 for the Sickle Mower; but once the store owner heard the $50,000 price tag for the Barber Chair, he was out.

Barry took the items to two more antique stores. Too expensive for their clientele.

Barry decided to take a break from work to give Jack a makeover. The trio went shopping for clothes. After, Barry then decided to introduce Jake to a non-Amish, tattoo-riddled gal. Barry had them share a root beer float. I think Jake blushed!

Barry: But let’s get one thing straight, nothing’s more valuable than a good time.

At their fourth antique store they were given then name of a guy named Kelly who lived in New Oxfsalesman-sample-marine-engine-BT-1-1ord. He might be interested in the items. New Oxford was right next to Jake’s farm, so the guys dropped him off and said their goodbyes. An Amish kid with a suit?

Barry and Kenny shouted back at Jake: “Don’t tell the Bishop!”

Kelly was very interested in the salesmen samples and didn’t bulk the prices. Barry offered him a volume discount if he wanted to buy in bulk, and took him up to meet Carter.

The Sale

Carter wanted $44,900 for everything and Kelly countered with $25,000.

Barry: Come on, you guys are pros. You know that the best deal that’s going to happen here, you’re probably not both going to love it.

Barry suggested the happy compromise of $35,000. Both men agreed.salesman-sample-barber-chair-BT-1-1

Now it was time for Carter to show off his pralines to the Reese family. Carter loved them. However, his family has been out of the candy business for years. Whoops.

What did you think of Barry’s new show?

Please leave your insightful opinions in the comment box below.

Get More Barry on His New Show, “Barry’d Treasure”

Barry'd Treasure WeissFor many fans, Barry Weiss’s departure from Storage Wars was a serious blow.

His larger-than-life personality and crazy antics added a level of entertainment to the show that nobody else could hope to match.

But there’s some good news: If you’ve been missing Barry, you don’t have to wait much longer to get your fix.

A new show, Barry’d Treasure, is set to air on 3/18/2014. The show will air at 10pm, right after the Storage Wars season 5 premiere.

This new program takes a detour from the usual storage auction format. Rather than attending auctions, Barry and his new crew are traveling the country in search of rare and intriguing collector items to add to his own eclectic collection.

To do it, he’ll have to interact with a colorful cast of characters from all over the country and haggle with them to hand over their prized belongings. In that respect, the show is more like American Pickers with a decidedly quirky spin.

The format is a good fit for Barry, whose personality – and wealth – always set him apart from the other Storage Wars cast members. As a collector with plenty of expendable money and little interest in resale, the former produce-company owner has wide interests and the charm to make those interests into engaging television.

It’s not clear how long the series is scheduled to run, but if it takes off in popularity it might just be around to stay.

What do you think of Barry and his new show Barry’d Treasure?

Leave your interesting and creative responses in the comments section below.

List of Flip-for-Profit Reality Series

picker-sisters-lifetimeHow many storage auction, flip-for-profit, or picker/thrift reality series can you name off the top of your head?

Probably a just a handful.

But there are dozens of “scavenge for collectibles” reality series.

Many are ongoing while others have been cancelled, however you may view episodes or clips on the network’s website or on YouTube.

From pickers, thrifters, toy hunters, auctions hunters, and scavengers.

A little bit of this and that for everyone.

Here’s a list by network for you.

A&E Network

Storage WarsStorage Wars TexasStorage Wars New York
Auctions hunters compete to buy storage units.

Flipping BostonFlipping San DiegoFlipping Vegas
Buy, fix, and flip houses for profit.

History Channel

American Pickers: Travel the back roads of US to pick collectibles from sheds, homes, stores, and fields.
Cash Cowboys (H2): Canadian pickers search for collectible in garages, attics, sheds, barns, and shops.

Lifetime Channel

Sister Pickers: Pair of females travel the US in search of antiques and rare collectibles for their home decor store.

Science Channel

Oddities•Oddities San Francisco•Odd Folks Home
Search fleas, auctions, and antique shows for unique and unusual artifacts.

Spike TV

Auction Hunters: Pair of auction hunters buys storage units.
Flip Men: Purchase foreclosed houses at auction, remodel, and flips for profit.
Savage Family Diggers: Family travel across the US searching for buried artifacts.
Scappers: Three competing groups collect and sell scrap metal.
Thrift Hunters: Duo search through thrift stores to find collectible items.

Travel Channel

Baggage Battles: Buyers attend lost baggage auctions, police auctions, and estate auctions.
Toy Hunter: Renowned toy dealer searches for collections of rare toys.

TruTV

Container Wars: Buyers compete at auction to buy merchandise inside shipyard containers.
Storage Hunters: Auctions hunters compete to buy storage units.

These are a few of the flip-for-profit reality series on cable television. Which shows are your favorite? Which shows do you plan to watch?

Please leave your insightful opinion about this list of shows in the comment box below.

Storage Wars Texas: Jenny Grumble’s Scar

JennyGrumbles-scarRefurbishing merchandise and cleaning out storage units have one thing in common: OUCH!

Jenny Grumbles, one of the stars of Storage Wars: Texas, at work at her Uptown Country Home store, achieved a nice little scar on her forehead.

No stitches.

The scar was “glued.”

So what happened to Jenny in this nice little OUCH moment? Unclear, but she did state that maybe she should have gotten a desk job. Nah! She loves her work in upscaling furniture pieces.

When you refurbish furniture, a million things could go wrong.

When you clean out a storage unit, a lot of things could go wrong.

The dangers of cleaning out a storage unit are clear. Most people who store their merchandise usually stack, or should I say TOSS their merchandise precariously one item on top of another. Cram as many items into a small space and then forfeit on payment on the locker.

That’s where you come in. You, as the auction hunter, must then untangle the mess without having a piece of furniture hit you on the head.

Just ask Barry Weiss.

How many times did Barry have that TIMBER! moment as he removed items from a locker? He was slammed against a wall by a mattress. Had a microwave topple and tip over, barely missed his head. And the list goes on.

Now most auction hunters do not toss items out of a locker like Barry, who did that for pure entertainment (and yes, we were entertained). But if you wear a few pieces of protective gear whether your refurbish, DIY, or clean out storage units, it might will help to prevent that OUCH moment.

  • Wear thick leather gloves or heavy duty protective gloves
  • Wear a thick hat with brim
  • Wear worker boots
  • Wear long sleeve shirt
  • Wear jeans or thick pants

While there are many regions with hot climates and you’d rather clean out a storage unit wearing shorts; just be sure your locker is not packed in such a way as things might topple and tip over you.

The long sleeves are to prevent scratches. Think of how many times you might have moved into a new apartment or home and you garnered scratches from carrying a boxes. Jeans to protect your legs; hat your head; boots your feet from both items falling and live rats/mice that might scamper inside your locker. Ew!

If you do not want to wear most of the protective gear, at least wear “gloves.”

There’s a saying – Handle Trash, Get a Rash.

Okay, I just made that up, but I have seen in my experience how handling trash can give a rash to certain people who are more susceptible to germs. You may like a room to be dusty, but do not underestimate how bacteria likes to collect as well.

Not every storage hunter has a partner or buddy or family member to help them unload merchandise. It’s up to you to protect yourself from that OUCH moment.

I think Jenny might invest in a new thick hat in the very near future.

Have you garnered a scar while refurbishing merchandise or cleaning out a storage unit?

Please leave your insightful opinion in the comment box below.

Top 3 Barter Clothing Websites

clothingbarterforumsWhat type of merchandise you will most commonly find inside a storage unit? Household items, of course.

The second most found merchandise is clothing and lots of it for all ages and many different sizes.

If you find designer clothing you may get a quick flip online or at a flea market or swap meet. The rest is a guess as to how long it will take to sell the clothing for profit, or to just break even.

But what if you don’t want to go through the trouble of selling clothes despite the brand name?

There are two alternatives. One is to give the clothing away to charity, which isn’t really a step toward profit. The second alternative is to BARTER or TRADE an item or items for something you can sell or maybe something you want for yourself or for family and friends.

Bartering is a tool that A&E’s Barter Kings, Antonio Palazzola and Steve McHugh, use to trade items for better items without the exchange of money. They actually shy away from any currency exchange as though it were the plague.

Your storage unit may have boxes or rubber bins full of clothes and you have no clue to its value or rather not put in the time and effort to resale. Consider to barter or trade for better items or maybe even consign.

Here’s a short list of the top barter clothing websites.

1. Swap Style

This is a higher end barter forum which was founded by fashion designer Emily Chesher in 2004. It’s a worldwide community that swaps clothes, shoes, accessories, and cosmetics. They also have a small section for books and electronics. You do not need to pay a membership fee.

2. Rehash

A forum to trade clothes and accessories with other members. It’s also a social type of network that’s eco-friendly. You can request items and attend swap events. Membership is free to interested parties.

3. Thred Up

This consignment forum you send your merchandise to them and receive 80% of item’s sale price after it’s sold. Primary focus of the forum is boy’s and girl’s clothing. Also included are Juniors and Women fashion. Membership is free.

They have a unique clothing calculator at Thred Up that may give you an idea if your clothing is worth trading or better off at Salvation Army.

Let us know what you think about bartering or trading in the comment box below.